Joe's Notes

Welcome!

This is my blog and I do whatever I want here. I write my thoughts about things and short stories, I take photos, and have lots of book reviews. Make sure to check out the PRODUCTS page to order your edgy t-shirts or the PRINTS page to get prints of my photography! Use the search bar at the bottom of this page to discover more posts. Use the ARCHIVE page to see all my posts. Categorical searches will also yield good results for those who want more of a specific group of posts such as “Photo Journal” or “Book Review”. Check out the OLD BLOG for over 270 posts that go back to 2010 and get your PRINTS at the Prints Store!

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Top 5 Books of 2025

December 28, 2025 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction, Reccomendations, Reviews, Top Five, Western

I read some books this year. Here are my favorites!

Book Review: A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

March 12, 2025 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction, Reccomendations

The point of this review is to convey my desire for you to read the book even if you have seen the show. If you don’t want to read the book then the Audible version is excellent. It is read by a man named Roy Dotrice and he does a great job of voicing the characters and makes the entire experience highly engaging. I ingest my books mostly via the paper form but listening to a book, when it is read well, can be an equally enthralling experience. I recommend A Game of Thrones to anyone who loves medieval drama and suspenseful intrigue.

Top 5 Books of 2024 (Book Reviews)

December 29, 2024 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Reccomendations, Religion, Reviews, Top Five, Sci-Fi

I don’t read very fast but I love reading. I enjoyed all the books I read or listened to this year but these are my favorites and I think you’ll like them too! Check out my top 5 book reviews of 2024 and pick up your copies using my links if you want to support my blog and reviews. Share and celebrate reading and writing today! These are not ranked.

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

November 12, 2024 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction

I wanted to love this book. I had high expectations because of my love for Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series but A Court of Thorns and Roses is very different. It is a more insulated story with a much simpler plot and less action. I wasn’t as invested in the characters who seemed like premade pieces in a predictable puzzle. It seems tailored for a female audience and centers around a romance that is more superficial than the romances in Throne of Glass.

Book Review: Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

August 21, 2024 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction, Reviews

This beautifully grotesque accounting of an epic journey rivals those of The Odyssey and Lord of the Rings, with less fluff and more French words. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a nightmare-inducing ride down an ecclesiastic rollercoaster. Super fun!

Book/Series Review: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

July 04, 2024 by Joe Gray in Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction, Reviews

I have enjoyed the entire series immensely and consider it one of the best fantasy stories I have ever read. The entire thing is well-paced, superbly written, wonderfully exciting, and suspenseful and the organization of the chapters, books, and series was masterfully orchestrated. I am very glad that this series was introduced to me by my friends and I am compelled to read more from Sarah J. Maas although I am afraid nothing will quite live up to the Throne of Glass series. I cried, I laughed but mostly I couldn’t stop reading. I highly recommend these books and I thought the finale was perfect.